What are you having yourself?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Bust open my 200ml JW blue with in an hour of getting it

Imust say I was not expecting much from this as loads of people have slagged off the price tag for a meer blend.

Well what can I say ... I am actually quite impressed.

The nose for me was initially chunky round malt, some light but earthy peat notes and big fruity aromas like dried apricots etc. A very enjoyable nose.

Quite rich and complex in taste also ... madeira seems to spring to mind but may have nothing to do with madeira casks. Light fruit cake, a mix of sweet and bitter. Obviously there is probably more that a better palate could find.

Finish is excellent and very long. Big spice ... then drying and strangely some sweet sugar syurp appears on the tip of the tongue. Dry wood sticking to the insides of the cheeks and possibly a touch of liquroice. Still going on as I finish this explaination. This whisky is all about the finish.

I also noticed and I know this is real nerdy but the legs on the side of the glass just stay for an age. Amazing for a whisky of 43%

Well all I can say is that I'm very impressed with this whisky which has loads going on. Definately will not suit any mood but quite drinkable. Very complex whisky and I'll go as far to say a brilliant whisky but strangely I'm not sure if I could ever fall in love with it at the same time. Dont get me wrong I like it and you definately can appreciate the complexity of the whisky and you can totally enjoy everything about it. But maybe it's a bit too rich I don't know I just think I'd grow tired of it's style after a while. A good ofter dinner whisky or to accompany a cigar.

[brettie vedder]

enjoying a 500ml non nitro can of beamish and a dram of redbreast 12yr. damn good combination. might follow it up with a 2004 reserve chianti or and a bit of blackbush. variety tonight my friends

[brettie vedder]

enjoyed a couple drams of bowmore legend last night while watching "Coast" on Blighty. it dealt with the scottish NE to E coasts. on second though, i should have had a highland park, haha. if anyone is interested, blighty is currently showing programs from their scottish season. Made in Scotland is a great show. caught about 3 episodes of it. in one episode they were in islay at the Bunnahabhain or Bruichladdich distillery...cant remember which, haha. today they are showing 4 programs on the highland clans. just a heads up if anyone is interested. also, another show called Made in Britain has been dealing with scotland. always a chance of some whisky talk on there, so i will be tuning in

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I like that show Coast ... made by the BBC and have seen a good few of them. I like the way it covers history, geography and local interest stuff.

Bowmore is as good as any for that costal feel

[brettie vedder]

I like that show Coast ... made by the BBC and have seen a good few of them. I like the way it covers history, geography and local interest stuff.

Bowmore is as good as any for that costal feel

yea, thats why i liked the coast show. it was cool how they talked about a whole slew of topics. i think tonight will be talisker and another episode of coast, haha

[DavidH]

Coast is great, and they did Ireland too which was very generous of them.

Anyway, tonight I've been supping Island whiskeys. Best of the night for me was the Highland Park 18, though it wasn't the crowd favourite (that was a Scapa).

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Had some HP Earl Magnus ... didn't really dissect it but for a cask strength it is very easy to drink. I was expecting something more powerful but this is quite a fruity dram (peach/apricot vibe) actually the fruit is quite intense. Beautiful mouth feel too and a few puffs of peat smoke at the end

Will probably look at this in more detail sooner rather than later.

[brettie vedder]

Coast is great, and they did Ireland too which was very generous of them.

Anyway, tonight I've been supping Island whiskeys. Best of the night for me was the Highland Park 18, though it wasn't the crowd favourite (that was a Scapa).

interesting. i must see the ireland episodes of Coast.

had myself a highland park 12 last night. such a great whisky. i can only imagine what the 18 tastes like.... one of these days!

[jcskinner]

I finally buckled and cracked open a bottle of the Bushmills 1608 anniversary - the one made with the crystal malt in the complicated packaging.
It's a bit more sherried than I remember with plenty of chocolate and fruit on the nose, as well as some old wood and caramel.
But it kicks in nicely on the palate, chewy and viscous, dark chocolate and nutty toffee notes with something wonderfully floral and fruity going on that doesn't identify itself for me till I swallow.
Then I'm getting strawberries and honey on the finish, along with the toffee.
Can't believe they were selling this for 30 quid at the distillery. I should've cleaned them out!

[DavidH]

Trying to clear some shelf space so tonight I drained a Jameson 12yo into a glass. Turns out to be a double measure... oops! Still, my whiskey shelf no longer overflows by exactly one bottle.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Trying to clear some shelf space so tonight I drained a Jameson 12yo into a glass. Turns out to be a double measure... oops!

I love it when that happens and you feel less guilty for having a large one

Me ... !!!

Macallan 20yo bourbon barrel...

Nice light delicate whisky free from the Macallan sherry trademark which is a very pleasent change for me.

[rummy]

The Jameson Rarest reduced me to drivels. Took me an hour to get through the glass. Owner of our bar was so excited by my excitement he let a glass be passed around. Even our wine nerd was speechless. Big and forceful up front, fruity and not-so-Jameson-spicy in the middle, and really pleasant burn that stayed in my mouth a full minute after each sip.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

The Jameson Rarest reduced me to drivels. Took me an hour to get through the glass. Owner of our bar was so excited by my excitement he let a glass be passed around. Even our wine nerd was speechless. Big and forceful up front, fruity and not-so-Jameson-spicy in the middle, and really pleasant burn that stayed in my mouth a full minute after each sip.

Excellent little story there Rummy ... it is nice to hear about your excitement of a whiskey been shared by all around you. It is times like these that people realise that whiskey is not all the same

[jcskinner]

On the Green Spot tonight.
Great whiskey, top value.
It's all been said before, really.

[rummy]

On the Green Spot tonight.
Great whiskey, top value.
It's all been said before, really.

Want that whiskey so bad i could kill. Misfortunately my State Gov runs ALL liquor... i

[brettie vedder]

On the Green Spot tonight.
Great whiskey, top value.
It's all been said before, really.

Want that whiskey so bad i could kill. Misfortunately my State Gov runs ALL liquor... i

god, i dont miss those days. lived in pennsylvania for 26 years... is WA as bad as PA? in PA they cannot sell beer in the same place as wine and liquor. we have govt. run state stores to regulate wine and spirits. and then beer distributors can be publicly owned. so if you want a bottle of whiskey and a 6 pack, you need to hit up 2 stores. sooooo stupid

[jcskinner]

The evil that men (in government) do.
Let's all be thankful we're not subject to the laws of Sweden, where the government dictates what you can buy, when and for how much (too much, invariably.)
Or those of Utah, where I believe there is only a handful of places licensed to sell alcohol at all and people are forced to drive to them or across state lines for a drink (open to correction here.)
Or worst of all, Saudi Arabia, where one is forced to distill one's own illicitly. I met a lass recently who grew up there in the foreign compound and she said their second bathroom was turned over to be the compound stillhouse for the entire duration of her childhood.

[brettie vedder]

The evil that men (in government) do.
Let's all be thankful we're not subject to the laws of Sweden, where the government dictates what you can buy, when and for how much (too much, invariably.)
Or those of Utah, where I believe there is only a handful of places licensed to sell alcohol at all and people are forced to drive to them or across state lines for a drink (open to correction here.)
Or worst of all, Saudi Arabia, where one is forced to distill one's own illicitly. I met a lass recently who grew up there in the foreign compound and she said their second bathroom was turned over to be the compound stillhouse for the entire duration of her childhood.

i hate how each state in america has different laws for alcohol. you cannot buy grain alcohol in pennsylvania, but you can in new jersey, haha. and you have to sign a waiver i believe.

[brettie vedder]

The evil that men (in government) do.
Let's all be thankful we're not subject to the laws of Sweden, where the government dictates what you can buy, when and for how much (too much, invariably.)
Or those of Utah, where I believe there is only a handful of places licensed to sell alcohol at all and people are forced to drive to them or across state lines for a drink (open to correction here.)
Or worst of all, Saudi Arabia, where one is forced to distill one's own illicitly. I met a lass recently who grew up there in the foreign compound and she said their second bathroom was turned over to be the compound stillhouse for the entire duration of her childhood.

america land of the free....more like land of the enslaved, lol

[PureDrop]

Finished off a few dregs over the past few weeks to make some room ...

• Caol Isla Distillers Edition (finished in Moscatel Casks) - a superb whisky - the favourite on the Celtic Whiskey Shop's Isla trip a few years back and also favourite at my last December tasting. I've some more of the same in reserve.
• Lagavulin Distillers Edition (finished in Pedro Ximinez casks) - another favourite - rich, fruity with a decent level of peat.
• Bruichladdich 15yo - very sad to see this bottle go. I had a bottle of the 17yo purchased maybe 7-8 years ago. that was superb but I wasn't able to replace it with another and so settled for the 15. This one got better as the open bottle aged - again fruity with a nice level of peat. I've kind of gone off Bruichladdich a bit - there's a very distinctive "taste" to each of their whiskys but bizarrely absent from that wonderful 15yo.
• Black Bush - once finished, had to be replaced (about two label designs old!) - BB has taken over from Powers as my regular pub whiskey.
• Tyrconnell - I had this bottle for a good while too, again the older label design - another old reliable.
• new bottle: Port Ellen Provenance 26yo (dist. 1983) (Douglas McGibbon's) - (see here)

Tonight ...

• trying Rittenhouse Rye - fantastic nose - its very reminiscent of rum, very sweet - very "brown sugar". Its undeniably smooth, but there's no length to the finish. This is the only rye I've ever tasted, so I don't know how "representative" this one is.
• trying Appleton Extra Jamaican rum alongside the rye. It has much more character than the rye, more elements/notes whatever!. I've just nosed another four rums (even one from India) - and all have a bit more going on than the rye. On the other hand, some of those are "off-notes". The rye is very very one-dimensional, but very "clean". The taste/finish don't live up to the nose or maybe I just don't get it.

/M

[JohnM]

Very nice, Michael.

The Rittenhouse Rye is very well regarded. It used to be for sale in Harvey nicols for 17 euro a bottle, or thereabouts. Great value, but have not seen it there recently.

[jcskinner]

Wow, Michael.
That's some line up! Love that Lagavulin Distillers Edition. I'm hoping to spot it on offer somewhere soon.
Like yourself and David, I've been trying to clear some space by finishing off some bottles.
Now that's been achieved, I can finally crack open some more!
I've started with the Tyrconnell 10 yo Port Finish, which I've been wanting to get stuck into for a good while.
On the nose I get ripe pineapple, loads of fruit sugars actually, which break down on the palate into orange peel, mandarin segments, a bit of mango and plenty of spicy notes from, I presume, the port pipes.
It has a nice linger about the finish too, which is impressive for a young, light Irish whiskey.
The better half, who is a peat fiend, raised an impressed eyebrow when she had a sip. It's possibly the first time ever she's been impressed by a non-smokey Irish. High praise indeed.

[jcskinner]

I've brought three or four bottles out of storage tonight and was really looking forward to opening them (some of them I haven't had before, some not for quite some time.)
But it looks like none of them are getting opened tonight. Enjoying the Tyrconnell Port Finish too much to bother switching!

[JohnM]

Had some Ardbeg Rollercoaster last night. Pretty nice. Very Ardbeg. Then I had a 1990 single-cask Dalmore from Wemyss. Tasted almost like sherry - smelled very much like sherry. Then on to a Ardbeg Corryvreckan - brilliant whisky, if you like that sort of thing.

[JohnM]

Oh, and a Cadenhead Cooley - 14 yrs old, bottled may 2006. Excellent.